As exciting as Christmas is for kids, that's how enjoyable the opening day of practice is for veteran football coaches like Rich Albonizio.

"It's great, your heart starts beating a little bit faster when it's football season," said Albonizio, who is entering his 18th season as Greenwich High School's head coach. "It's like you become more alive. It's a passion for a lot of us -- you get to be around the game and the kids. That's what keeps you in the business."

The Cardinals were all business Monday as they hustled through each drill during their first practice of their 2014 season. With a wealth of players back from last season's squad, which finished 8-3, optimism filled the air at Cardinal Stadium.

"We will miss the kids that graduated, but this group also has something special," Albonizio said. "This team has a good mixture of seniors, juniors and sophomores who have a lot of experience. This is a very motivated group."

Here are some questions Greenwich faces as it prepares for its 2014 season.

Greenwich went 7-1 during its last eight games last season, including an impressive Thanksgiving Day victory against rival Staples. Can the Cardinals build off what they accomplished the final eight games a year ago this fall?

"Playing on Thanksgiving and winning makes the season a little bit easier to swallow when you win that last game," said Albonizio, whose Cardinals open the season on the road against West Haven on Sept. 12. "It gives you momentum going into the following year. Also not getting into states or the FCIAC Championship game gives you more motivation."

With key players returning on both sides of the ball, the Cardinals certainly have the talent to qualify for the CIAC Class LL playoffs and contend for the FCIAC title.

After a slow start to their 2013 season, the Cardinals began to flourish with Matt Marzulla under center. Can Marzulla, who went 7-1 as a starter, improve upon his strong performance from last season?

"Matt's definitely getting better," Albonizio said. "He's not only a very good quarterback, he loves it and works as hard as anybody. The kids on the team see that and respect that."

Marzulla's passing and running abilities should make him one of the top signal-callers in the FCIAC.

Scoring wasn't a problem for Greenwich in 2013, especially during the second half of the season. Which players are going to lead the offense in 2014?

Senior quad-captain/Fordham University-bound Austin Longi, who rushed for 1,595 yards last fall and scored 33 touchdowns overall, should be tough to defend when he lines up as a slot receiver this season. Devin McGrath, Walker Manning, Anthony Busani and Anthony Ferraro comprise a solid group of wide receivers and Albonizio expects big things from junior tight end Scooter Harrington. GHS has a speedster at tailback in senior Ryan Pasquali.

Greenwich's defense improved as the season progressed in 2013. What will help this year's unit get off to a quicker start?

Albonizio likes the move the team decided to make of shifting Longi from cornerback to free safety.

"Longi is a ball hawk and I think he'll really help us at that position," he said. "He played there in the spring for us and has really adjusted well to the position."

The return of Pasquali, McGrath and Griffin Tiedy gives the squad an experienced secondary, while senior quad-captain Jack Weigold should help fortify the defensive line. With a year of experience under their belt, last year's returing starters should continue to progress.

Which position does Greenwich possess the most depth?

"Our offensive line was young last year, but really improved as the season went on," Albonizio said. "It became one of the strengths of our team. This year, I would say our offensive line is the position where we have the most depth. We have two groups of players who are really strong."